Celebrating 200 years of La Romanee: 1815 - 2015

11 June 2015:

Richard was extremely privileged to be invited to a once-in-a-lifetime vertical tasting of La Romanée, hosted by Louis-Michel Liger-Belair at the Château de Vosne-Romanée, the home of the Comte Liger-Belair estate in Vosne-Romanée. During the course of one day, Louis-Michel and 12 guests tasted over 70 vintages of La Romanée, with the oldest being 1865 and the youngest, cask sample of 2014. To celebrate the domaine's 200th anniversary, Louis-Michel embarked on the phenomenal task of amassing the range of vintages for this mammoth tasting, with contributions from several of the guests....below are Richard's brief tasting notes:


"At its best, La Romanée has a remarkable silkiness and elegance, subtle dried fruit and rose petal aromas, lovely sweetness on the palate entry leading to a long cool and profound finish which lingers on the palate."

Here are the vintages that particularly stood out for Richard (note that between 2002 and 2005, both versions by Bouchard and Liger-Belair were shown):


5 star vintages: 1865, 1911, 1962, 1966, 1969, 2005 (Liger-Belair), 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 (cask sample)


4 star vintages: 1915, 1947, 1964, 1995, 2002 (Liger-Belair), 2003 (Liger-Belair), 2005 (Bouchard), 2006, 2007 and 2009


3 star vintages: 1923, 1926, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1971, 1980, 2001 and 2003 (Bouchard)


And a few that were above the expectations of the particular vintage (those nice surprises): 1967, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1987 and 1997


La Romanée first became a part of the portfolio of the Liger-Belair family when in 1815 General Louis Liger-Belair married the widowed Claire-Cécile Basire whose family had acquired important vineyard assets following the revolution, including the Château in Vosne, La Grande Rue , the first ouvrée of La Romanée and La Tâche. The General took on the title of Comte (Count) in 1822. Without heirs of their own, the couple in 1824 adopted Louis-Charles, the eldest son of the Count's sister, Marie-Catherine. Louis-Charles later inherited the vineyards of La Romanée, part of Richebourg, Les Gaudichots, La Grande Rue, Clos Saint Jacques in Gevrey, and he also reconstructed La Tâche. Louis-Charles married Ludovie Marey, daughter of Gauillaume-Felix Marey, cousin to the Marey-Monge family based in Pommard. The Marey family was based in Nuits-Saint-Georges, with the négociant house founded in 1720. In 1852, Count Louis-Charles went into partnership with his father-in-law and founded the House of C. Marey and Comte Liger-Belair. When his father-in-law passed away in 1869, Louis-Charles continued to run the business on his own before handing over to his son Edgard (1835 - 1915). Edgard (The Third Comte Liger-Belair) continued to build the domaine and the négociant business, focussing on the export business, in particular Belgium, where he was to meet his future wife. Of Edgard's children, Henri became the next Count, but he left the running of the business to his brother Felix.  Henri (1867 - 1924) died young amidst very challenging economic times, leaving behind a widow and ten children. In France, a number of vineyards began to be sold off during the 1920s and 30s. Decision was made to auction off the Liger-Belair family vineyards on 31 August 1933. On that fateful day, Canon Just (1904-1991), one of Henri's 10 children, together with Michel (1900 - 1941), Henri's eldest, and another brother Philippe, managed to salvage La Romanée, Les Reignots and Les Chaumes.


Michel passed away in 1941. His son Henry (1928 - 2015) took over the domaine but because of his military duties (he became a full General in 1984), the tending of the vines continued to be under share-cropping arrangements with various Vosne families (including Forey, Lamadon, Sirugue and Michaudet), as had been organised by Canon Just.  The Foreys had looked after La Romanée and Les Reignots. The wine was then handed over to a succession of Beaune-based négociant houses to finish the élevage for more than half a century, including Thomas-Bassot, Delaunay & Fils, Leroy, Lionel Bruck, Albert Bichot and Bouchard Père et Fils.  The General and Count had 3 daughters and 1 son, and Louis-Michel became the 7th Count Liger-Belair in 2015 on the passing of his father. 

It was at the young age of 8 that Louis-Michel knew he wanted to dedicate his life to wine and vines, and the domaine. Louis-Michel remained true to his vocation and commitment and has executed a carefully-planned campaign consisting of successive steps to rebuild and restore the Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair to its former glory and beyond.  One of the first things he did was to execute the waiver agreements to the sharecropping leases, with remaining terms until between 2000 and 2002, depending on the vineyard.  In 2000, he controlled only 1.5 ha, including La Colombière, Le Clos du Château (Monopole) and a few rows of Les Chaumes. In 2002, he took back the sharecropping arrangement for La Romanée and Les Reignots. Between the 2002 and 2005 vintages, both Bouchard and Liger-Belair shared the élevage of La Romanée, before the Bouchard arrangement discontinued. From 2006 vintage onwards, it is only produced by Domaine du Vicomte (now Comte) Liger-Belair. In 2014, Louis-Michel repurchased the historic Maison C. Marey & Comte Liger-Belair, founded in 1720 by Claude Marey. The domaine now has 

Situated just above the slope from La Romanée-Conti, La Romanée is a monopole vineyard of 0.8452 hectare on a slope of 10-12%, that has been carefully pieced together through the consolidation of 6 parcels, acquired between 1815 and 1826. In 2015, 20% of the vines were 100 years old, 50% at 60 years and the remaining 30% between 20 and 40 years old.  Average production is about 3,600 bottles.  The rows are planted perpendicular to the slope (North-South), with exposure East/Northeast, for reasons of erosion but perhaps more for the practicality of alleviating field labour. The soil here contains less clay (35 - 40%) than La Romanée-Conti, with a stony structure, rendzina resting on Prémeaux oolith limestone. At the top of the plot (western side of parcel), the beige-pink limestones are compact, forming a thin crust, with outcrops of silica (silex-like) below the cross erected in the southwestern corner of this Grand Cru, where Les Reignots begins. In the middle, grey marl is covered with red gravel, with more limestone scree, clayey-limestone and brown silt on top. At the bottom eastern side, marl subsoil is covered with clayey limestone gravel, with brown silt on top. In short, La Romanée is a fragile vineyard, requiring a lot of work.  Canon Just described it, "La Romanée is an upperclass who never entirely abandons herself......she always holds something back for later." If only he could live to taste the vintages under Louis-Michel's sole control!

6 stars in 2 days, and some very memorable bottles!

26 June 2015:
Quite by coincidence that we found ourselves dining in 2 of Hong Kong's top restaurants on consecutive evenings this week, each a holder of 3 Michelin stars, and entirely different in style and cuisine.

The beautiful stuffed crab shell - I have just made a dent in the middle to make way for the Lea & Perrin sauce!

The Lung King Heen roast chicken - half portion here.

Puntalette with minced beef in XO chili sauce

The first evening was at Lung King Heen, the temple of haute cuisine chinoise, in the Four Seasons Hotel.  We started with the famous crab shell stuffed with onion and fresh crab meat. This scored full marks for us: the balance between crab meat and onion was perfect, with intense flavours highlighting the freshness of the crab meat, with texture to give structure to the dish.  Sensational.  With just a light touch of Lea and Perrin sauce, this dish went beautifully with the 2001 Ramonet Montrachet.  The suckling pig dish was another highlight - I could not taste any fat at all - all I tasted was the crispy skin with tender succulent meat and a layer of fluffy rice-flour pancake.  I loved the wok-fried prawns with organic black garlic and dried chili, even though it might not have been the best match for the white wine.  The Lung King Heen roast chicken was a classic - beautifully roasted chicken, moist and tender, topped with wafer-thin skin so crispy and light, with such brilliance and hardly any fat underneath.  It was divine.  Our red wine was 1990 Clos de La Roche, Hubert Lignier.  Our wok-fried Australian beef tenderloin with spring onion, garlic and black pepper might have paired better with a spicy wine but both wine and food was so exceptional that it didn't matter so much.  Finally, a new dish that we had not tried before, fried puntalette with minced beef in XO chili sauce - an East meets West dish packed with bold flavours and al dente textures, tasty to the last grain!  I had to make room for this! 

2001 Montrachet, Ramonet

An utterly divine white Bourgogne, with incredible power, intensity, depth, density, structure and ageability.  Still very much in its youth. It's austere but the intensity of the flavours (floral and spicy) is mouthstaining, and the richness lifted by vibrant acidity.  The palate is shaped by the breadth of flavours and the strength of crystalline minerality from beginning to the very long finish.  A wine of immense dimensions, that will benefit from further years of cellaring.  Decades of life ahead in an ideal cellar.  19.5+/20

1990 Clos de La Roche, Hubert Lignier
A wine in its prime and totally deserving of superlative descriptions. Mouthcoating richness, full-bodied and velvety texture, with incredible length and depth. Layers of complexity include game, sous-bois, mushroom and nutmeg. Drink now, but the robust structure will endure 15 - 20+ years of cellaring. Classy and sensual. 19/20

To finish, Bernard Chan, the Senior Sommelier, introduced us to a gem in his wine list.  We had a glass of the 2009 Ambonnay Grand Cru Les Crayères, Champagne Marguet.  Only 2,459 bottles made.  62% Chardonnay and 38% Pinot Noir.  Zero dosage. 45 - 50 year old vines.  32 months aged on lees. Disgorged in March 2014.   Beautiful definition, great detail.  The material was so rich and ripe that dosage was not necessary at all.  Long finish.  This is available by the glass.  I hope he will still have stock of this the next time we visit!

Conversations with Bernard revealed his passion about his métier and wines.  He has managed to put his own stamp on the wine list, such as the Marguet champagne as well as a tasting flight of wines called "A Taste of Asia" consisting of 6 interesting wines and spirits, all made in Asia, and all chosen to go with the food at Lung King Heen. The current selection includes a white (Grace Vineyard Tasya's Reserve Chardonnay from China), a junmai daiginjo genshu from Japan, a 10-year-old Hua Diao (Chinese yellow wine), a Bordeaux blend from China (Château Bolongbao from outside of Beijing, tiny production), rice-based spirit from Korea (Hwayo 41 degrees) and a lychee honey dessert wine from Taiwan.  At HK$600 for a flight of 6, it almost seems a bargain compared to the very steep corkage charge!  At HK$ 750 corkage charge a bottle, this had to be the most expensive corkage charge in Hong Kong!  Still worth it I suppose, depending on the bottle you wanted to take.

Chateau Bolongbao from just outside of Beijing city

Hwayo Korean rice-based spirit

The following evening, we went to Otto e Mezzo by Chef Bombana.  We did not catch a glimpse of Chef Bombana but this had not affected the food quality at all.  All the dishes were perfectly executed.  The lobster salad with truffle was a definite hit and it went beautifully with the white wine that was recommended to us: a 2009 Quintodecimo Exulte Fiano di Avellino. For main course, I had a relatively simple dish but it was packed with flavours and utterly satisfying - the lamb and mushroom pappardelle.  The veal milanese was an all-time favourite. 

Lamb and mushroom pappardelle

2009 Quintodecimo Exultet Fiano di Avellino
A singular expression of Fiano di Avellino from a single cru vineyard at 570 metres altitude, on clay-calcareous soils in Lapio. Long pressing before fermentation, for which 70% in stainless steel tanks and 30% in small new French oak barrels. Ageing for 8 months on fine lees, with regular racking. Quintodecimo believes in biodiversity and that man, nature and vines must all be at one to produce great wines. The name Quintodecimo pays homage to the number 5: the vine's flower has 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 stamens, and 5 nectars. The leaves are pentalobate, with 5 parts and 5 veins. We have 5 senses, etc.

This is extremely elegant, with tight minerality running through its backbone. Lightly aromatic, with acacia, herbal, honey and a core of yellow stone fruit. Harmoniously presented and finishes extremely long. 2009 vintage seems just perfect now but can easily be cellared for another 8 - 10+ years. This wine requires bottle age to deliver its potential and could appear a little austere if drunk in its early youth. (Thank you, Marco for recommending to us!) 17.5/20  

(I feel I must try the Greco di Tufo and Falanghina by Quintodecimo very soon while the Greco is still fresh in my memory!)

1986 Lafite
A rich wine that keeps evolving in our glasses over the course of our meal. Initially a little closed. With aeration in the glass, we are able to admire its fleshy richness, intensity and bold structure. A substantial wine with the hallmarks of monumental greatness, and one that can expect further bottle evolution, and a very long life ahead, 30+ years. Today, it could have benefitted from 2 hours of decanting time but it was fascinating to see how it kept evolving in the glass. 20/20

1996 Margaux
Fine and elegant, with its signature aromatics. Sinewy and delicate when compared to the fleshy and mouthcoating Lafite.  A delightful wine that should be enjoyed now and over the next 10 - 15+ years. I didn't find the wine showing marked improvement with aeration in the glass. 17.5/20

1990 Ponsot Clos Saint Denis Vieilles Vignes

19 June 2015: Lush, rich, and mouthfilling. Very ripe material with firm broad-shouldered structure to hold it together. Almost a sense of intense sweetness on entry and continues with beautiful nuanced savoury complexity with coffee, earth and tobacco undertones. Persistent finish. Very much in its prime, perhaps a little rough round the edges today that could do with further evolution. Drink now and over the next 15 - 20 years. 17.5/20

The Little Movements en Bourgogne!

Our private room at Chateau de Citeaux, Meursault

11 June 2015: On this recent visit, we were very delighted to meet with some passionate new generation vignerons, who have been working hard at improving wine quality, ensuring the sustainability of the soil and vines, while reducing the use of sulphur dioxide and using larger oak vats.

According to Vincent Chevrot (of Domaine Chevrot in Maranges), it was really from 2010 that they significantly reduced the amount of sulphur dioxide, with none added to the crushing of red wine grapes. The wine now shows more marked acidity, finer tannin and more finesse. He would add some sulphur dioxide at bottling, to just a total of 30 mg/litre, with free portion around 15 mg/litre (much lower than the requirements of Ecocert at 100 mg/litre for reds and 150 mg/litre for whites and rosés). The reason for the conversion to organic in 2008 (with certification in 2011) was really health for the soil and vines and for the vineyard workers. 

Vincent Chevrot (middle), with Minoru-san and Cheewee on either side

The Maranges La Fussière is bottled without filtration. Fermented without sulphur dioxide, with 20% whole bunch, and 15 – 16 days of maceration. 15 months in barrels, with 20% new oak. Bottling in January, with 3 rackings, once in the summer following harvest, second time to decant into large tanks, and the last time before bottling to clarify. According to Vincent, whole bunch gives a certain style and structure. (And if you are in Japan, check out the Suzuki Rosé by Domaine Chevrot - a top-seller in Japan especially in the months of cherry blossom appreciation, thanks to the effort by Vincent's sister-in-law!)

Frederick Buisson (of Domaine Henri et Gilles Buisson in Saint Romain) talked to us about the domaine's project of Absolu, a tiny production of around 2,000 bottles of red and 2,000 white each year since 2010. Absolu has a total of 20 mg/litre, added just before bottling and free sulphur is zero. This is significantly below Ecocert’s absolute minimum of 30 – 40 mg/litre of free sulphur dioxide. For the traditional range, he would keep total sulphur dioxide at about 60 – 80 mg/litre, with free of 30 – 35 mg/litre. It was interesting to taste the very lightly sulphited and more conventionally sulphited versions side by side, with the less sulphited version showing a fullness in the mouth and more clarity and precision for the wine with more sulphite.

 

Delicious whites: Maranges, Saint-Romain Sous La Velle and
Pernand-Vergelesses Pemier Cru Sous Fretille (highly recommended)

Luc Pavelot (of Domaine Pavelot in Pernand-Vergelesses) also spoke about his method to keep sulphur down. The first and most important was to harvest only healthy grapes and to pay attention to sorting. The next most important was the quality of the press and the addition of sulphur dioxide for protection. He also uses carbon dioxide to reduce the use of sulphur dioxide during vinification. His wines are bottled without filtration.

Olivier Lamy pouring cremant for everyone

On the occasion of our closing dinner (a barbecue dinner à la Paulée hosted by Domaine Roche de Bellène), we spoke to Olivier Lamy (of Domaine Hubert Lamy in Saint-Aubin) about density of plantation. He believes in keeping the vines lower (a shorter distance between the fruiting area and roots), so that the flow of sap is more efficient and the energy is better channeled to the vines. This is more back-breaking work but Olivier believes that it is worth it. The higher density helps keep control vigour. His vines from the vineyard Saint-Aubin Derrière Chez Edouard are planted 0.3 m x 1 m to give 30,000 vines per hectare. He uses different planting densities depending on the climat and microclimates. Some could be 0.75 m x 1 m, resulting in 13,000 vines per hectare. Because of the tight planting, he does not require cover crop to create competition at the top of the slope. He only has cover crop at the bottom slope. In addition, he swears by an ancient technique of pruning: Guyot-Poussard, which is in between Gobelet (spur) and Guyot (cane). This pruning technique is believed to cause much less damage to vines, thus extending the life of vines, reducing the frequency to replant and ensuring healthier grapes.

 

[May I please also thank our fellow educator Kusuda-san for sharing with us a 1972 Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint Jean, Ramonet-Prudhon!]

Claire Naudin (of Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits) has been experimenting with sulphur dioxide for the last 15 years. She now produces a separate range (under her name Claire Naudin) with very little sulphite, about 30 – 35 mg/litre total and 20 mg/litre free, compared with the conventional range of 50 – 60 mg/litre total and 20 mg/litre free. This means that for the wines vinified without sulphur dioxide (no crushing of grapes, no pumping/racking and use of carbon dioxide, with sulphur just added before bottling), a lesser total amount gives the same free level as the conventionally sulphited version. We tried her Bourgogne-Aligoté, with and without sulphur. The version with sulphur has more rounded texture and more leesy aromas. The version without shows bright and crisp fruit, with more pronounced freshness. As for the reds, the 2013 Hautes Côtes de Nuits vinified without sulphur shows pure fruit, with floral and sous-bois character, and lifted freshness. The version with sulphur seems more subdued. However, Claire said that based on her 15 years of experimenting, there is no rule about which version would have more longevity.


Claire also patiently took us through the steps that Bourgogne vignerons have identified as key steps to the overall technical improvement of the region.


1) Maintaining the sustainability of the vineyards. This point concerns the fight against pests such as Drosophila suzukii (or Suzuki flies) and diseases (Flavescence dorée, esca, etc). Flavescence dorée is a disease infection by phytoplasm, causing leaves to yellow, branches to change shape and roots to remain green not brown. Spraying is a solution but Claire said that the spray even though organic could cause burns to humans – she had one arm burnt by the spray. After spraying, you would need to leave the vineyard for 2 days before returning. Another solution would be to immerse young plantings in warm water to eradicate the pathogen. Spreading of Flavescence dorée could be by leafhoppers or humans/tractors. The first time that sizeable damage was noted in the Saône et Loire region – 11 hectares of vines had to be pulled out. Now the damage seems much more subdued and area much more focused.


As for climate related hazards such as hail, 30 vignerons have signed up to trial the use of net. Each row of vines is covered by one net. They are evaluating the pros and cons (the latter could include reduced sunlight and air circulation).



2) Keeping diversity of varietals. More diversity of clones in the vineyard, more chances of the vineyard surviving any disease attack, with strengthened vines with greater resistance. Pinot Noir mutates very easily….it has a high plasticité génétique.



3) Ensuring sustainable viticulture and vinification. To help the vignerons, BIVB has developed a self-diagnostic programme for vignerons to use at their domaines. They could go through the list and see what they’re doing correctly, how they could improve, with some positive and realistic suggestions. For example, Claire said she would like to be able to treat the water used for cleaning tractors after spraying to minimise the pollution to environment. Even though she does not have a spray-recoverer, she uses low pressure to concentrate the spray on a smaller surface, so that there is less wastage and reduced use overall.



4) Bottling, dissolved oxygen and use of sulphur dioxide. The objective should be to achieve the best style of wine, through the overall decreased use of sulphur dioxide, while preventing premature oxidation. Sulphur dioxide is important in the control against brettanomyces. Vignerons now know besides other causes of infection, there is a direct link between brettanomyces and the use of barrel (how the barrels are cleaned, whether the wine is fermented or aged in oak).


As of now, BIVB has not set goals for reduction of carbon emissions and reduction of inputs into the vineyards, and the treatment and recycling of outputs to reduce environmental damage.   

But one thing is certain: the future of Bourgogne is in good hands (at least some very good hands!)!

Delightful and Affordable Bourgogne!

12 June 2015: On the final morning of our seminar, we did a blind tasting of 40 wines, including 20 reds and 20 whites selected from the Cave de Prestige of BIVB. All we had to do was to guess the appellation, the level of quality, and vintage. Well, there are 100 appellations in Bourgogne.....to start with...


Blind tastings are humbling exercises and invariably turn out these nice surprises when the wine delivers above its class (or vice versa!). The following are some of the wines that I was rather impressed by:


Whites
2013 Bourgogne Hautes Coôtes de Nuits, Les Dames Huguette, Domaine Guy et Yvan Dufouleur

2013 Saint Romain, Domaine Christophe Buisson

2013 Givry 1er Cru Champs Lalot, Domaine Michel Sarrazin et Fils

2013 Beaune Champagne de Savigny, Domaine Roux Père et Fils

2013 Bouzeron Clos de La Fortune, Maison Chanzy

2013 Bourgogne-Chitry Olympe, Domaine Olivier Morin

2014 Bourgogne Couvent des Jacobins, Maison Louis Jadot

2014 Bourgogne-Aligoté, Domaine Olivier Fichet



Reds

2013 Beaune Cuvée Jean Marc Ferreri, Domaine Capuano Ferreri

2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies, Domaine Jean Fournier

2013 Santenay 1er Cru Clos Rousseau, Domaine Bachey-Legros

2012 Fixin, Domaine René Bouvier

2013 Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre Cuvée Louis Bersan, Domaine JL et JC Bersan

2012 Bourgogne-Chitry Vau du Puits, Domaine Olivier Morin

(And I highly recommend the 2012 Marsannay En Ouzeloy, Rene Bouvier that I tasted subsequently at a restaurant in Paris after leaving Bourgogne)

 

I would love to see these wines appearing on wine lists in restaurants or wine bars, as they offer genuine price-quality ratio (provided there is no ludicrous mark-up in the distribution chain)! In Hong Kong, I feel that we have a genuine need to change consumers' perception that Bourgogne wines are expensive......a lament or complaint I often encounter. Not at all, these are very palate-worthy wines and affordable too!

A Hidden Gem in Pommard - Tasting at Domaine Lejeune

11 June 2015: More than 200 years ago at the apex of its fame, Pommard covered over 1,000 ha. Today, it has 321 ha planted, including 116 ha of 28 Premier Cru climats. Pommard, Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges are amongst the 3 best known red wines from Bourgogne. Yet Pommard consistently trades much lower than its more illustrious Côte de Nuits neighbours, despite its earlier days’ reputation.  During the 20s and 30s, the trade was dominated by négociants and domaine bottling was only done by few growers with the financial means to do so, such as Henri Gouges, Hubert de Montille and Marquis d’Angerville. The négociants simply bought all that was produced by the growers and it was not important, or rather it would be an unnecessary distraction to have a Grand Cru from the Pommard village given the reputation of the name. This short-sightedness, coupled with compromised quality in favour of quantity, resulted in bulk prices at 25% below that of Nuits Saint Georges in the mid 1980s.  Following a number of poor quality vintages of 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1984, the fate of Pommard was thus sealed, at least for a long time. A number of inspired growers decided to turn this fate around and the following 20 years have seen some marked improvement in the quality of Pommard. The village has been rewarded with some worthy investments, such as Château de Pommard (purchased by Michael Baum from the Silicon Valley with a new luxury hotel, spa, new cellar and restaurant with Michelin-starred chef all in the pipeline

), and the emergence of some quality fine dining places in Pommard have helped change the impression of sceptics. We are seeing positive price adjustments for Pommard, not least somewhat driven by the rise in prices for Hospices de Beaune auctions and the fact that they had lost 70% of crop in every vintage of the last 3 vintages (2012, 2013 and 2014) due to hail, rot, mildew and coulure.

 

Aubert Lefas

We visited Aubert Lefas at Domaine Lejeune who gave us some background to the application of Les Rugiens and Les Epenots (including Les Grands Epenots, Les Petits Epenots and Clos des Epeneaux) for Grand Cru status. Detailed geology study shows that the mid-slope where the high quality Premier Crus are, is made up of clay-limestone soils, well drained thanks to small stones. For example, there is distinctly more clay at Les Poutures and Les Rugiens, giving rich and mouthfilling wines. The presence of iron in Les Rugiens is also a factor of its superiority in terms of ripeness of vines. Whereas limestone dominates, the wines are more elegant, example being Les Epenots, which tends to be long in the mouth and elegant. Les Rugiens has always been recognized as a top site in Pommard, with the average ripeness at half to 1 degree higher than other climats, and the Bas typically better than the Haut vineyard. Les Epenots due to its size (around 35 ha) could be less consistent than Les Rugiens (about 12 ha) in terms of quality of individual parcels. Growers who have Les Epenots typically have the possibility of blending Les Grands Epenots with the Petits Epenots. Clos des Epeneaux is a monopole of Domaine Comte Armand, across the two climats. If a Grand Cru could be approved in Pommard, this would be extremely good news as there is no question that the entire village would benefit from this promotion - recognition of the improved quality in Pommard overall.

Aubert’s vinification is artisanal – he vinifies in large oak vats, because he said his father-in-law did not have the means to invest in stainless steel vats at the time. Depending on the vintage, he either uses 100% whole stems or manually destems part of it, with the whole cluster portion no less than 60%. During cuvaison, the temperatures range from 18 to 32 degrees. He typically adds carbon dioxide when the must warms to above 20 degrees. During the first 6 hours of cuvaison, oxygen in the grapes could cause oxidation and production of acetic acid, therefore it is important to have some sulphur dioxide. Sulphur dioxide protects the must, while the carbon dioxide from fermenting must protects the whole clusters. For entry level AOC, the cuvaison is typically 10 – 12 days, and up to 25 days for Les Rugiens. If fermentation temperature falls below 20 degrees, he does pigeage to avoid risk of volatile acidity development, to reactivate the fermentation. If quality of crop is not as good, such as in 2013 and 2014, he destems part of it, while maintaining a minimum of 60% whole clusters. A fermenting vat typically has the bottom part filled with whole clusters, with crushed grapes and must at the top, and a mixture of whole clusters and must in the middle. Maturation about 22 – 24 months in barrels. For a vintage like 2013, Aubert only did 22 months of ageing.

 

The wines are linear and show a purity and finesse that belies the richness of the soils of Pommard.  I highly recommend the Pommard Les Rugiens that epitomizes finesse and richness from a village often mistakenly described as rustic and heavy-handed – only 600 bottles were made in 2013, if you can get your hands on a bottle! The Pommard Trois Follots is a very elegant expression of Pommard, while highlighting the purity of the fruit. The Pommard Les Poutures shows more broadness and mouthfilling structure.


The prices at Lejeune have remained reasonably modest compared with the better known domaines in Pommard…..a real gem that is definitely worth seeking out!

The oldest vat in Bourgogne - from 17th Century

Climats de La Cote Chalonnaise

10 June 2015: Following our very educational tasting in the Mâcon  , we were hosted by Château de Chamirey for a tasting of the 5 villages from the Côte Chalonnaise. In 2010, Bertrand Devillard and Aubert de Villaine initiated a movement to promote the villages of the Côte Chalonnaise and formed the group “Climats de La Côte Chalonnaise” with 10 family-owned domaines as members.  Every year, the group organises tastings in Paris and London to present their wines and the new vintage to professionals and clients. They share their experiences with each other and their common goal in making the wines of the Côte Chalonnaise better known.

A selection of Rully Premiers Crus by Paul et Marie Jacqueson

Aladame's Montagny Premiers Crus

This is a region that offers richness in history, diversity and excellent price-quality ratio even at the Premier Cru level.  Every climat has its own unique character.  We were able to taste the poignant differences between Rully La Pucelle (more clay in the soil, rounded with such depth of character) and Rully Grésigny (more calcaire in the soil, more linear and mineral), by Paul and Marie Jacqueson, for example, or the different expressions of Montagny by Stéphane Aladame, from the tension and nervosity in Les Maroques to the finesse and elegance of Les Vignes Derrière, and amongst the reds such as Mercurey La Framboisière (more stony soil, with raspberry fragrance) and the Monopole Premier Cru Clos des Myglands (more intense with darker fruit) from Faiveley.  Where Mercurey offers structure and requires time to deliver its potential, Givry is charming and delights the palate with such juicy fruit and clarity of style.

Faiveley's 2 monopoles from Mercurey

Standing with full view of the magnificent Clos du Roi and the Touches hameau in the distance, our host, Amaury Devillard, who together with his sister Aurore, now looks after Château de Chamirey and Domaine de La Ferté (they also have Domaine des Perdrix in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Domaine de La Garenne in the Mâcon), spoke to us about the improvements in the past 15 years in the region. Such improvements have covered areas of viticulture, vinification, maturation, bottling and training of the people. The vignerons are now much more willing to replant and there have been a lot more replantings to ensure long-term sustainability and healthy, high quality fruit. Vine height has increased from 1 metre to 1.2 metre, so that the fruiting area has better exposure to sun, resulting in better ripening. Significant improvements have been made in the winery, including use of larger barrels to give more balanced white wine, better attention to prevent excessive oxygen uptake and more gentle and precise extraction.

I spoke to the Export Manager at Domaines Devillard, Cédric Ducoté, who visited Hong Kong recently to promote the wines. As the Devillard family also an estate in the Côte d’Or, he has been able to compare the sales trends from both Côtes. He said that it was encouraging to see increasing sales of the wines from the Côte Chalonnaise in Hong Kong. He alluded such improvements to the economic crisis driving consumers to search for expressive wines offering better quality-price ratio and also the limited supply from the Côte d’Or as a result of 3 very small vintages, which resulted in the loss of almost 1.5 harvest between 2010 and 2014, on average. These had created tremendous opportunity for wines from the Côte Chalonnaise, but it required education and targeted marketing.

Raising our glasses to thank Amaury Devillard for his hospitality

We enjoyed dinner and a few magnums from the producers in the recently built dining room at the Château where visitors could come taste wines and enjoy lunch (the chambres d'hôtes are work-in -progress but we can expect 9 beautifully appointed rooms so that visitors can explore the region at leisure).  Amaury introduced us to a magnificent bottle of 2012 Château de Chamirey La Mission Monopole to go with the cheese course. It showed such regal expression, depth of character, layers of mineral-laden complexity, refined balance that belies the inherent opulence of the wine. It is an incredible wine with such vinosity and depth, from the humble village of Mercurey!

The following are worth seeking out:

Whites

Bouzeron, de Villaine

Rully Premier Cru La Pucelle, Paul et Marie Jacqueson
(Paul now joined by daughter Marie)

Rully Premier Cru Grésigny, Paul et Marie Jacqueson

Montagny Premier Cru Les Vignes Derrierè, Stephane Aladame

Montagny Premier Cru Les Maroques, Stephane Aladame

Mercurey Premier Cru La Mission (Monopole), Château de Chamirey




Reds

Givry Premier Cru La Grande Berge, Domaine Ragot

Mercurey Premier Cru Les Ruelles (Monopole), Château de Chamirey

Givry Premier Cru Clos du Cellier Aux Moines, Domaine du Cellier Aux Moines
(the estate is owned by Philippe and Catherine Pascal with the winemaking overseen by Robert Vernizeau, Technical Director at Domaines Devillard)

Mercurey La Framboisière (Monopole), Faiveley

Mercurey Premier Cru Clos de Myglands (Monopole), Faiveley (We had the 2012 out of magnum - very tasty!)

26 Shades of Macon

10 June 2015: I was very privileged to be invited back to Bourgogne by BIVB for Level 2 of the Official Bourgogne Wine Instructor Accreditation Seminar. Our first exercise, after a brief refreshment of gaufrettes mâconnaises and coffee at the end of an hour-long transfer to BIVB's Maison des Vins at Mâcon from Beaune, was a tasting of the 26 villages of Mâcon wines, with quality situated between Mâcon-Villages and the 5 villages of the Mâcon (namely Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly Vinzelles, Puilly Loché, Saint Véran and Viré-Clessé) in the hierarchy, albeit still forming part of the regional appellation.

 

Les gauffrettes maconnaises

AOC Mâcon (including Mâcon-Villages and Mâcon + village name) consists of around 3,340 ha of white wine production and 520 ha of red wine production planted in a variety of soils including clay, limestone, sand and granite. (cf Pouilly-Fuissé 757 ha; Saint-Véran 680 ha; Viré-Clessé 390 ha; Pouilly-Vinzelles 52 ha and Pouilly-Loché 32 ha). The wines are made by 400 domaines and 9 co-operatives. 27 villages (26 for white and 1 for red) have been recognized as higher quality than the rest and are allowed to have the village name suffixed to Macon, such as Mâcon-Lugny or Mâcon-Azé. The one village for red is Serrières. Making up 40% production of the Mâcon AOC, the 27 villages were the result of a consolidation exercise that took place about 10 years ago when around 44 villages could lay claim to this regional AOC title (ie Mâcon + village name). Long been in the shadow of the 5 more prestigious village appellations, the reputation of these 27 villages has received a boost by the interest shown by some top winemakers from the Côte d’Or, such as Dominique Lafon (with his Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon wines, example Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine) and the late Anne-Claude Leflaive with her Mâcon-Verzé. Currently, the 5 villages with the highest production are: Lugny, Igé, La Roche Vineuse, Vinzelles and Peronne. Chardonnay is also a significant producer. Mâcon + village offers a very interesting quality-price ratio, compared with the more village appellations. Ex-cellars per bottle price for a Mâcon + village is around EUR 4 – 6 (c.f. Mâcon-Villages at EUR 3 – 4, Saint-Véran at EUR 6 – 8 and Pouilly-Fuissé at EUR 10 – 12).


This was the first time that the Ecole des Vins had organised a tasting like this to compare the quality of the wines from the 26 villages (not including the red village). All 26 wines were by different producers (with some representing more than one village such as Cave de Lugny). All wines were chosen for their expression of the terroirs, with very clear differentiation between the cooler and warmer regions. Comparing our notes, we discovered that there seemed to be a consensus that those wines deemed to be of higher quality were from villages rather close to the village appellations – in my mind, they were quasi-village level. Those that did not seem to quite deliver on the same level of ripeness, balance and finesse, were situated further away from the village appellation areas.


Joining the educator group were 3 winemakers from the region, including Jean-Philippe Baptista, Isabelle Meunier and Olivier Fichet. They are all members of the union of the producers of the wine of Mâcon (UPVM).

 

The following villages represented by the following domaines particularly stood out for me in terms of balance, harmony, finesse, and showcased high quality winemaking:

Mâcon-Vergisson La Roche, Domaine Thierry Drouin 2014: clear minerality on palate, well-knit, harmonious

Mâcon-Montbellet La Bergerie, Domaine Talmard Mallory 2014: linear structure, finesse, clean balanced finish

Mâcon-Uchizy, Domaine Talmard Mallory 2014: careful winemaking, rounded mouthfeel, savoury complexity

Mâcon-Peronne, Cave d’Aze 2014: good intensity, savoury complexity

Mâcon-Azé, Domaine de La Garenne 2013: balanced ripeness and freshness, harmonious, above its class

Mâcon-La Roche Vineuse, Domaine Merlin 2013: linear, great energy, precise winemaking, plenty of detail

Mâcon-Prissé, Domaine de La Pierre des Dames 2014: lovely floral character, clean crisp finish, with perfect ripeness

Mâcon-Loché, Domaine Clos des Rocs (Olivier Giroud) 2014: rounded mouthfeel, well-managed oak, well-structured

Mâcon-Vinzelles, Cave des Grands Crus Blancs 2014: cool minerality, great balance despite the youthful austerity

Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly Les Condemines, Domaine Carrette 2014: lovely intensity, without being over-ripe

Mâcon-Pierreclos, Domaine Lapalus 2014: depth, well-managed, high quality winemaking, precise minerality

We asked why we hadn't been seeing more of these wines in the export markets? A few challenges were identified: limited production volume (leading to majority of production sold by independents/cavistes and on-trade (ie restaurants) in France), weak Euros to US dollars (the Euro has fallen roughly from 1.4 to 1.13 in the past 5 years), threats of frost and hail leading to some upward price adjustments and the higher cost of production for export markets (according to the winemakers present, export markets tend to favour oak and this could significantly increase the cost of production at this level).


Do consumers find it confusing that there are so many village names? Yes and No. If left on the shelves of supermarkets, this is certainly the case…..but if sold at cavistes and restaurants where proper guidance is given to the consumer, these villages could be much better represented and their stories much better told. I see the geographical proximity to the village appellations as a strong marketing point for these villages and it proves that terroir matters and we as educators and trade professionals should work harder at promoting this rather than suppressing it under the generalization of Macon.


With the poignant perception of its limited production threatened by increasing demand and the throes of inclement weather, the future of Bourgogne lies in its diversity and communication of this message. We need to encourage consumers and those who influence them to discover these gems that provide excellent quality-price ratio and a sense of place. I certainly would love to see more on our shelves and on restaurant wine lists in Hong Kong! (And what's more....the Mâcon offers extraordinary landscape marked by the two famous rocks of Vergisson and Solutré, with plenty of history to discover and Abbey of Cluny not to be missed!)

My Ideal Pink Wardrobe This Summer!

6 May 2015: It was really a privilege to be included amongst a room full of experts to blind taste 36 premium rosé wines from around the world (9 countries) and across a range of prices with the most budget-friendly being Chateau de Sours, Bordeaux (Retailed Recommended Price (RRP) GBP 11.50). Richard Bampfield MW had organised this tasting in collaboration with Chateau Brown, whose wines were amongst the wines tasted. A widespread line-up of samples were drawn from France (Bordeaux, Provence, Tavel, Bandol, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Loire), Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Chile, South Africa, Australia and England - some countries/regions had just one wine represented.

Tasting is a very subjective affair and especially with something like rosé wine which is more often associated with summer holidays in the sun than being an everyday beverage. Colour gave an immediate first impression, followed by organoleptic qualities and balance (alcohol, freshness and ripeness of fruit). Overall, I seem to have given higher scores to a certain style of rosés: pale salmon colour, lively acidity, aromatic attractiveness with bright but subtle floral and fruity character of raspberry and grapefruit with just a hint of savoury character to give some complexity, well-integrated balanced alcohol and a harmonious finish. A good rosé for me is one that helps conjure the image of sun, sea, seafood and sea breeze.

The following 10 were my top-scoring wines (note that they came in a wide range of prices!):

2014 Domaine des Diables Rosé Bonbon, Côtes de Provence, Sainte Victoire 

(50% Cinsault, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache) 12.5% abv (RRP GBP 13.95)The estate was established by the Fabre children from Domaine Sainte Lucie. First harvest was 2007. Soils composed of clay, silt and sand, ideal for the production of characterful and aromatic rosé wines. 70% of the grapes for Rose Bonbon came from one of the oldest parcels planted in 1914. 3 hours cold maceration before fermentation. 6 months on fine lees.


2014 Miraval, Côtes de Provence 

(Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle) 13% abv (RRP GBP 21.50) The Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie venture. Winemaker is Marc Perrin.

2014 Domaines Ott, Clos Mireille, Côtes de Provence 

(70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 10% Syrah) 14% abv (RRP GBP 34.99) Clos Mireille is one of 3 estates owned by Domaines Ott. This location benefits from the proximity to the sea and the clay soil.


2014 Château Léoube, Rosé de Léoube, Côtes de Provence 

(40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre) 13% abv (RRP GBP 14.50) Château Léoube in Bormes-les-Mimosas (65 hectares of vineyard with mainly schist and clay soils with another 20 hectares for olive trees) is owned by Sir Anthony Bamford (also owner of Daylesford Organic, itself a very successful sustainable farm in the UK). Winemaker is Romain Ott. The château has 3 rosé wines: Rosé de Léoube, Secret de Léoube and the latest addition of Léoube La Londe made from a selection of the estate's best old vines, low-yielding (less than 35 hl/ha) with 50% Grenache and 50% Cinsault (only 1,500 bottles produced for the latter and this Super Rosé retails at around EUR 38). The estate is certified organic and follows biodynamic approach in respecting the life cycles of its vines and fruit to achieve balance, as well as an integrated pest management approach to nurture biodiversity in its natural habit.

2014 Domaine Sainte Lucie MIP (Made in Provence) Classic Rosé, Côtes de Provence 

(60% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 20% Grenache) 12.5% abv (RRP GBP 11.95)The estate at the foot of Mont Saint Victoire in Puyloubier, near Aix-en-Provence, was created by Michel Fabre in 1979. Now joined by Guillaume, Virginie and Aurelien, their children, who contributed to fresh input in the way wines were made by the introduction of technology to optimise freshness of fruit in the vinification process and to prevent oxidation in the bottling line. The Classic Rosé vinification: immediate pressing followed by fermentation, with 4 months on fine lees.


2014 Château Pibarnon, Bandol 

(40% Cinsault, 60% Mourvèdre) 13% abv (RRP GBP 21.99)
The secret of Pibarnon's wines lies in the complex alchemy of its local soil: a unique Triassic limestone soil (rich in fossils and with subsoil of Santonian blue clays) born of a particular geological characteristic which perfectly regulates the flow of water to the vineyard, a brilliant grape variety, Mourvèdre, and an altitude of more than 300 metres above sea level, matched by microclimates offered by the natural amphitheatre. For this rosé, the Cinsault is pressed directly and only free run Mourvedre (saignée) is used after several hours of skin contact. Co-fermented at around 22 degrees Celsius.  Aged 6 months in stainless steel tanks.

2014 Domaine Tempier, Bandol 

(Around 50% Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan) 13.5% abv (RRP GBP 23.75)

Must is obtained by direct press or press after cold maceration (12 degrees Celsius) or by saignée (5 - 10%).

2014 Domaine de La Ribotte, Cuvée Anais, Bandol 

(90% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache) 13.5% abv (RRP GBP 14.99)


2014 Chêne Bleu, Vaucluse 

(60% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 5% Cinsault) 13% abv (RRP GBP 17.99)The estate is situated at high altitude in the Dentelles de Montmiral, near Gigondas.


2014 Château La Sauvageonne, Coteaux du Languedoc, Gérard Bertrand 

(Grenache, Syrah) (RRP GBP 12.99)The 40-ha vineyard is located northwest of Montpellier, at an altitude of 300 metres on the Larzac terraces. Achieved biodynamic status in 2013. The soils are based on three types of rock, sandstone, schist and ‘ruffe’. The region’s subsoil is rich in water and also in aluminium or bauxite. The ‘ruffe’ which predominates in many of the plots is very rich in minerals. The climate is hot and humid.


I ought to also make mention of some of the non-French selections by Richard that I thought were worth considering. They included 2014 Segura Viudas, Clos Juvència, DO Catalunya, Spain (RRP GBP 12), 2014 Niepoort Redoma Rosé, Douro (RRP GBP 14.99), 2013 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosato, Sicily (RRP GBP 12.45), 2014 Ritual Terrazzas, Valle de Casablanca, Chile (RRP GBP 15). From the Château d'Esclans/Domaines Sacha Lichine range, I gave Garrus (happens to be the top of the range) the highest score, but with a price tag of GBP 99.80, it does not offer the same price-quality ratio for the sensible consumer.


Richard had summarised the scores from the 45 tasters who submitted their scores at this tasting: 13 of the top-scoring 14 wines were from Provence or nearby, the only exception being Château Brown from Bordeaux. In fact, in the top 20 wines, only one other wine was from outside the south of France - Turkey Flat from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Château Léoube was the most successful producer, with its 3 wines submitted all ranked in the top 7.  Voilà!